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Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Movie Review: Boy Wonder

The very concept of a “realistic” superhero film would seem
to be a gross contradiction in terms.The fantastical conventions and tropes of the genre seem irreversibly resistant
to such iterations.This has not stopped
a plethora of filmmakers from offering pseudo realistic takes on the caped and
costumed set.Kick Ass, Watchmen, and
Christopher Nolan’s Batman films all
purport to be the genuine article in terms of grit and realism.All of the aforementioned address the various
implausibilities and impossibilities of the genre in a myriad of ways.Though these films can in no way be
considered artistic failures, none of them ever has ever been completely successful
in accomplishing their goals.Writer/Director
Michael Morrissey has attempted to remedy this problem with his gritty
vigilante film, Boy Wonder.

Sean Donovan is a seemingly ineffectual teen leading a
seemingly uneventful existence in Brooklyn.He’s a severely introverted young man who scores straight A’s in all of
his classes.However, his meek and
unassuming demeanor disguises a huge propensity for violence.At night he prowls the streets of Brooklyn,
brutally assaulting and sometimes murdering any violent criminal he happens
upon.His one man campaign of vigilante
justice is the result of a horrible childhood tragedy. As a young boy, he
witnessed the brutal murder of his mother by a carjacker.He hopes to one day exact vengeance on her
killer.Until that point, his crusade will
continue indefinitely.

As one can easily assert by reading the plot synopsis, Boy Wonder Is not film about Batman’s
brightly costumed sidekick Robin.Michael
Morrissey, an avowed comics fan, has taken the origin stories and revenge
fantasies inherent to the form of comics and allowed them to play out as a
brutal urban drama.The results are at
times uneven, but nonetheless intriguing.The stripped down approach essentially turns the film into an
unrelentingly dark character study of a young man who could be considered a
blue collar version of Bruce Wayne, sans the “no killing” policy.

There are no huge set pieces or lavish special effects.The drama is not punctuated by constant or
relentless action.The set pieces are mostly
low key, centering on brutal one-on-one confrontations that end fairly
quickly.Though the hero is obviously
trained and proficient in combat, the fights unfold in a rather messy and spontaneous
manner.Caleb Steinmeyer’s size and
weight are surprisingly taken into account.Larger, stronger opponents are able to fling him around like a rag doll,
yet he is able to turn the tables on them through resourcefulness and use of
various weapons.One wishes that these
scenes could have been filmed more clearly, but the muddled aesthetic is in
line with the tone that Morrissey is aiming for.

The film has some slow moments, but the movie soldiers through
on the strength of the performances and character relationships.Caleb Steinmeyer is the darker version of
Peter Parker that Spider Man 3 ineptly tried to bring to life, only here it’s
not played for laughs.Steinmeyer
elicits sympathy despite his emotionally distant performance and brutal
nature.As detective Teresa Ames, Zulay
Henao exudes both ambition and sex appeal.Her motherly concern for Sean seems genuine and even suggests a feint hint
of sexual attraction to him.Of course,
the characters consummate professionalism would prevent such a thing from ever
coming to fruition.It’s that kind of complexity that keeps the
film from feeling as routine and mundane as it might have otherwise played.

Boy
Wonder won’t
appeal to everyone.It lacks the obvious
and vulgar thrills of traditional action pictures and modern superhero films.It is not in the same mold as either Spider-Man or Death Wish.It holds the viewer’s
interest through more subtle and cerebral means than either of those films.Though the execution isn’t flawless, it is nonetheless
a thoughtful film with a lot on its mind.It actually seems interested in what might really happen should a psychologically
unbalanced teenager actually decide to take the law into his own hands.Boy
Wonder is worthy viewing for anyone who has ever wanted to see the concept
of superheroes taken deadly serious.

About Me

Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Scott Wilson, deep thinker and blogger extraordinaire. I'm also a published author and proud father. Last but certainly not least, I'm a single (IE Available), but I'm definitely looking to change that. My life is an ongoing work in progress, and I'm always looking to improve.